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Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Lifting the Lid on Binge Eating

Whilst most people will admit they have done this at least
once, the effects of binge eating can last much longer. Here is an insight it
to what classifies it as binge eating, what to look for, why it occurs, what
affects it has and what you can do about it.

What is it?

Binge eating is defined as “uncontrolled ingestion of large
quantities of food in a discrete interval, often with a sense of lack of
control over the activity” according to the medical dictionary.
It is not to be confused with over eating. Over eating is simply knowing your
body has had to much food & continuing to eat, this may take place in
public, private and happen at any particular point of the day & is often
unplanned.Binge eating is classified a
disorder when it happens twice a week for six months (I personally believe that
1 month is long enough to classify it). The 2 biggest points to take from these
definitions is lack of control, and ingestion of a large amount of food in a
short space of time. The biggest misconception is that it is always junk food
that is ingested. This is not always to the case. It is also different as once
the event is over, it becomes very traumatic for the person, as the binging has
taken place in private and triggered by a specific situation/occurrence.Binge eaters often do not feel the physical
hunger pains, rather an emotional cue, and you will find most of them will
avoid eating in public fairly often prior or post a binging event (which can
often be planned hours or days in advance)

What to look for in yourself?

Surprised at how much food you can eat in one go
& then feeling guilty and depriving yourself from food or purging

This is different for each person, depending on what has
triggered them to start in the first place. Here are some common reasons:

Feeling down, depressed, isolated and alone

A particular stressful event

Poor self-image and self esteem

Competitive Sport

Family history of eating disorders or poor food
management growing up

Obsessive dieting

What affect is binge eating having on my body and my health?

Can be as minor as:

Increase stress

Poor sleep

Digestive upsets

Headaches

To more serious health issues:

Depression

Menstruation and Reproductive issues

Gallbladder disease

High blood pressure and cholesterol

Type 2 diabetes

Metabolic syndrome

And much more.

What can I do?

Seek health professionals advice: source out a
nutritionist, PT and or psychologist to help you create safe new habits and a
better relationship with food and weight loss

Eat 5-6 small meals per day: Star with breakfast
and eat every 3-4 hours, this will allow you to regulate metabolism, teach your
body to have hunger signals and prevent you from over eating (by not skipping
meals). Dieting & restricting your intake will only lead to more binging
episodes.

Exercise: Is good for just about everything! It
will get you to your weight loss goal, allow you to relax your mind, reduce
stress, and overall make you feel great

Keep temptation away: out of mind out of
sight.Don’t buy junk food or keep it
readily accessible. Only eat at the kitchen table and no other room in the
house, this way you will associate food with eating it around other people
& not in private.

Find new triggers: If you find you binge eat out
of emotion, find a new trigger for when you’re feeling down instead of food as
a reward.For example, instead of
binging because you’ve had a bad day go do an exercise class (i.e. Pilates or
boxing), go shopping, see a movie with a friend etc.